Saved
by E person
Summary: People will change, and that's understandable, but it's different when you yourself go through a complete mental metamorphosis because of one person who turned everyone against you. People can be cruel with their actions, and I fell victim to their act. Under this moonless night, I'm ready to rid myself of this suffering, until I'm saved by the hands of black cloaks and red clouds.
1. A Change for the Worse

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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People will change, and that's understandable. But isn't change a natural process? If it's a part of life, won't forced change completely mess someone up for the worse? The answer is yes. Yes it does. And, currently, I'm feeling pretty messed up for the worse.

I've found that, lately, life can be funny. No, I'm not talking about "haha" funny; I'm talking about the cruel, laughing-behind-your-back funny. I'm talking about the empty, emotionless kind of humor that everyone around me exhibits towards me. And, to tell the truth, it's also the kind of funny that is killing me from the inside out.

I sound like such a pitiful fool, don't I?

I wasn't always like this... no, actually, people knew me as the lucky-go-happy girl. I was the bubbly, optimistic girl who had the brightest future in all of Konoha as a medical ninja. My old friends and mentors told me that I would one day surpass the Hokage, Tsunade, in the field of medical ninjutsu. They had hope. I had hope. But hope wasn't enough to beat the compulsive power of mental transformation caused by Karin.

We were on good terms, Karin and I. I let her have Sasuke without a fight. I never said a bad word about her, to her face at least. Heck, even Sasuke and I were tolerating each other. The day that began the roller coaster effect of my emotions began, ironically, as a nice, sunny day. I woke up early, feeling ready for the upcoming few hours I had at the hospital. I arrived early and, as the only one there, decided to sweep and dust the front lobby. This is where Karin comes into the story. She sauntered through the front double doors, and then she walked up to me. As I was greeting her, she looked me straight in the eyes and... slapped herself as hard as she could. In surprise, I dropped my broom and ran over to her, asking if she was okay.

Then it dawned on me. Karin had a plan. Just then, Sasuke, of all people, walked in. Karin was cupping her swollen, red cheek, and the hand print stood out like a neon sign against her pale skin. She then ran over to her confused boyfriend and said, "Oh, Sasuke! Look at what that ugly, pink haired _thing_ did to me!". And to add some pizzazz to her little show, she started fake-crying. I caught Sasuke's eyes and prayed that he knew that I didn't do this. I wished that he understood everything, that I was innocent. But my wishes and prayers apparently weren't answered because all he said was, "You should know better," and left the hospital with Karin.

After the whole Karin-hospital incident was when people starting looking at me with disgust; this was when people started labeling me with horrible names. Worst of all, this was when people started sending the letters. They were sent from complete strangers, most likely Karin's followers. They all wrote something along the lines of "What's wrong with you," "How can you show your ugly face," "Stop hurting Karin," and worst of all, "I hate you." In my opinion, these are the three most powerful words. They control people. They possess them and make them do things that they regret.

I know I shouldn't let one pompous teenage girl get the best of me. At first, I just ignored her. I put up a barrier whenever she would walk by, hand-in-hand with Sasuke. But ever since Konoha accepted the young Uchiha back with open arms, everything has been different. The people that I called my close friends eventually stopped talking to me, probably believing Karin's wicked tale. The saying "friends stick by you through thick and thin" just didn't apply anymore. Naruto forgot about his promise to always be by my side no matter what. Nobody would look at me; however, I could still hear their harsh words. Backstabbing. That's literally what it felt like.

I thought that I had real friends. I thought that I had achieved what everyone wants, what everyone needs: friendship. But I guess I was just misinterpreting it with the barrier they put up to keep me away. Only two people even tried to reach out to me during my time of need, and they were Shikamaru and Hinata. Eventually, even they started acting different around me. I felt like a fool, a joke, trash. Each night I became more isolated and depressed. Over time, my world started to crumble and those pieces would pelt me until my whole body ached.

I have a plan to end all of this aching though.

Currently, it's a little bit past one-thirty in the morning. I can't sleep tonight, and this time it isn't because I am crying the pain and fear away. I'm actually too excited to sleep. Yeah, this sounds bad, but I can finally end this. I can finally erase my non-existent life from this too-real world. I push aside my pale pink blanket and sit on the edge of my simple, twin sized bed. Slowly and quietly, I creep my hand for the kunai in my ninja pouch. I do it carefully, as if I would wake someone up with my slightest movement. But the sad thing is that there is no one to awake. There's no one there in the shadows of my room to stop me.

Turning the worn handle of the weapon in my hands, I feel the wonderfully sharp edges of the shiny, black metal. My eyes scan my tiny, bare one room apartment slowly before I stand up from my bed and put on my sandals. Silently, I unlatch my window and gingerly leap out. I land silently on the grass below and quickly, but swiftly, make my way into the deep part of the forest, right outside of the village boundaries. I find a large, gnarled tree that has slender, finger like branches. It's bark is starting to peel off, making it look like it is about to whither away forever. Perfect. I sit with my back against the semi-damp, rough bark. For the first time in months, I look up through the parted section of canopy and find only darkness dotted by pinpricks of white. Beautiful. The moon has disappeared. No more light, just like me. I try to listen for the slightest sound, and all I hear are the rustling of the trees. I take a deep, reassuring breath as my cherry blossom colored locks of hair swirl around my face. I then wrap my numb fingers around the kunai blade and slowly lift it up to my left wrist. In one swift motion, I can end my painful life.

Three... two... one!

Just then, I hear a loud swishing sound.

"Stop," I hear as a warm but strong hand grabs my right hand, the blade now frozen on top of my wrist, lightly kissing my skin.

I slowly look up and see two people wearing black cloaks with red clouds, blocking my beautiful, non-existent moon surrounded by the too-real sky. Did they just save my life, or are they going to end it instead?

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**Thank you for reading "Saved," and I hope you enjoyed it. This chapter was mainly used as a prologue to some extent, which is why not much happened. I promise that it won't be this depressing from here on too... actually, once the Akatsuki cast is introduced, there should be plenty of humor.**

******This story was originally published on 5-27-11 (my third story, chronologically), but it was deleted by the admins a few months ago because of one slightly bad word in the summary. Well, ignoring the fact that there are thousands of summaries (and stories in general) worse than mine and that I was never given a warning and that I lost all of my precious, motivating reviews, I will put my petty grudge aside and re-post this story for my old readers, and hopefully new ones too. Also, I am editing the entire story in hopes that my writing has improved since it's debut two years ago. This will include the removal of much of the foul language that was first found in this story... let's just say that I was a naïve youngster who thought it was "cool." However, I will make sure Hidan's vocabulary will be as abominable as ever. So, let's commence!**

**Also, thank you for the people who are giving "Saved" another try. I hope you see improvement since its first publication!**

**I would love to know your thoughts! Please feel free to leave a review if you'd like, or if you have any ideas for the story. You guys are more powerful than you know, which is why I don't beg for reviews; no, I just ask you to give me a minute out of your time to tell me your thoughts on my writing. This is how I improve, and I would like to improve for both my sake and yours.**

**E person :)**

**6-2-11 **

**2-4-13 - edited**


	2. Saviors and New Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**A warm thank you goes out to the people who took the time to review the first chapter!**

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Without the courage to look at my "savior" face to face, I move my jade green eyes and start with his right hand, which is wound tightly around mine. His hand is slightly rough to the touch, covered in white, chalky dust. His fingernails are painted black and dark like the tension in the air, and on his index finger is his Akatsuki ring, which is teal in color. Just from this information, I know who he is. I also know that the pale dust on his hand is dry clay. After analyzing the Akatsuki organization for years, I've memorized most of their most prevalent characteristics, from their jutsus and techniques down to their hobbies and rings. Black nails, a teal ring, and clay belongs to the youngest and most explosive of the organization: Deidara.

Now that I have the knowledge of who this person is, I slowly slide my eyes up his cloaked arm and to his face, which is about a foot away from mine. I am right; it is the young bomber. I immediately recognize his trademark golden-blond ponytail, tied half up. He lets his bang, which reaches down to his chin, hang freely in front of his face, covering the left side. He has slightly slanted eyes, which are a startling shade of steel-blue. His face is slightly angular, but not sculpted like a grown man's. His mouth is set in a thin line and his blonde eyebrows are arched slightly. If hardcore criminals like him could have warm emotions, then it would be safe to say that there is some concern on his face.

Armed with the knowledge of who the person holding me down is, I'm assuming that the cloaked shadow behind Deidara is the orange-masked Tobi, his current partner. When I look up, however, I see a head of short and messy red hair. His face is emotionless with dark brown, calm looking eyes. I don't need any more information to know that this is Sasori of the Red Sand, who I presumably killed... Wait, why is he still alive then? I make a note to ask him if I don't get killed beforehand. Anyway, I can tell that he is getting impatient with Deidara. I kind of just want to yell, kill me already! If you're here for revenge, just get it while you can!

"So, what is this medical ninja up to at 1:30 in the morning?" Deidara asks, breaking the long silence, his sharp right eye trained on me.

"I was _about _to kill myself, but then you got in the way," I grumble, rolling my eyes in annoyance.

Deidara obviously doesn't like rudeness, for he tightens his grip on my hand and gives me a death glare.

"Why were we the ones that had to retrieve her?" Deidara mumbles, letting out an annoyed sigh.

Sasori quietly replies, "Don't you remember our mission? Stop making me wait."

"I know, I know. Just calm down. I'm getting on it, yeah," the blonde replies in his mellow, cool voice, contrasting with his partner's harsher, punctual tone.

"Getting on with what?" I ask viciously, trying to yank my hand from his grip but to no avail. "Also, I think I'm losing circulation to my hand, so if you could loosen the grip, that would be great."

"Why does Leader always want the obnoxious ones?" Deidara asks, continuing to grumble to himself as he summons a giant clay bird with his free hand. "Come on, get on the bird."

"No," I say with a stern look, still trying to fight back. My mind is racing faster than my heart was a few minutes ago. I have to keep reminding myself not to do anything rash, but then this is counteracted with the fact that it doesn't matter as long as I can die. First, my plan to kill myself failed, and now two of the most dangerous criminals want me. Maybe I could use them to my advantage and be killed in a more festive way? Or is this too imprudent?

"Come on, Pinky. Don't think we won't hesitate with using force," Deidara says, still trying to convince me to get on his majestically white bird.

I, however, just sneer at him, as if trying to provoke him with carrying out his threat.

"Do it or I'll kill you," Sasori threatens, although I know it's only an empty one. If their leader wants me, they would never be allowed to hurt me... which is a big problem considering what I'm after. Maybe I shouldn't go with them? But leaving for the Akatsuki will be better than staying in Konoha, right? Yes, anything's better than Konoha right now.

"First of all, I just want to make it clear that _nobody_ calls me Pinky. My name is Sakura. Second of all, don't you understand? I wanted to die in the first place, but_ no_, you—I'm not even sure why you're still alive—and Bomb Boy had to ruin my perfectly planned plan!" I finally explode, raising my voice in exasperation. Yeah, that feels good.

"Bomb Boy?" Deidara repeats, utterly disgusted, although he doesn't let his guard down. "I think I deserve a cooler name than _Bomb Boy. _Whatever, just get on the bird or we'll... um... keep you alive..."

"Idiot...," Sasori mutters, shaking his head in disbelief, much like I used to do to Naruto.

"Whatever. Fine, if you're not going to let me die peacefully or kill me yourselves, then just get me out of this stupid village," I say as I slowly get up, Deidara hesitating when releasing his grip on me. I then step onto the bird with the Akatsuki duo trailing behind me. If _I_ wasn't allowed to kill myself, I'm guessing that the Akatsuki are. I've heard they're really good at killing people in many different ways too. Who knows? I might even get blown up or live my life as a puppet for all of eternity. Intriguing, no?

As we are about to lift off, a black bird, possibly a crow or raven, cuts through the sky, making the trees shake their branches, as if they were saying a final good bye to me. A quick shiver of anticipation jolts my body as we finally rise up and soar away from Konoha, from my old life, from Karin. And with this thought, my uneasiness finally settles, as if it is going into hibernation. Maybe this kind of forced change will be for the better. Maybe ending my life isn't what I am after; instead, maybe I'm searching for a new beginning, and I might of just found it.

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Along the way, Sasori blindfolds me, much to my annoyance, curses, and many attempts of retaliation. My sense of time is off, so I'm not sure how long we've been flying. An hour? Maybe two? I'm not sure, but I eventually feel the clay bird slowly descend toward the ground, and I become fully alert again.

"Come on," Deidara says, grabbing my wrist while leading me off of the clay bird.

After I land on what feels like dead grass, his bird "poofs" away. He then turns me left and leads me forward until we get to what seems like a dead end. Although I can't see anything, I can feel a huge amount of chakra being used next to me. Then, I hear rocks cracking and grinding against each other, as if a boulder were being forced out of the way, which is probably the case. I am then roughly pushed forward, stumbling while trying to regain my balance. I attempt to reach out to touch anything familiar, but all my hands come in contact with is a cold, jagged rock wall. From behind me, I hear the grinding sound again as the boulder moves back into place.

Someone then removes my blindfold and says, "Welcome to your new home, Pinky."

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**Thanks to all the people who read chapter two! I know this one is still kind of short and didn't have much going on, but this will change as Sakura adjusts to the Akatsuki life, don't worry. Stay tuned for the next chapter! Please consider letting me know your thoughts so far; I'd love to hear them.**

**E person :)**

**6-9-11**

**2-8-13 - edited**


	3. Smirks

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Thanks to my followers for reading this story and sticking with it! I'm glad a lot of you like it so far. Enjoy chapter three :)**

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After Deidara unties my blindfold, I have to squint at the ground as the ceiling lights bathe me with their well-lit, artificially yellow glow. After several seconds of searing pain, my eyes finally start focusing. I slowly lift my head up and brush a few stray strands of hair out of my face before taking in my new surrounding. Taking a lucky guess, I say that this decently sized, rectangular cave is the living room. Although this "room" would never win a furnishing prize of any caliber, it does exceed my expectations of a dark, dingy hole in the wall with deceased bodies disposed of in the corner. I suppose the Akatsuki has some decency after all.

I continue surveying the area and am surprised to see this place so... well inhabited. For example, they have two three-person couches and a loveseat, although they are all mismatched, and one of the couches is overturned. The seats are arranged in a giant semi-circle shape around two tables, one of which is wooden and the other is glass. On the glass table is a tea cup and a plastic green vase filled with half a dozen origami flowers. In the corners stand tall lamps, one of which has a broken bulb. There is also an empty plate of something on the ground next to the loveseat. Considering that they put so much effort into this place and how much life it has, I'm guessing this is the main Akatsuki hideout.

I now at least know a little bit about my surroundings; however, I still don't know what time it is, where exactly I am, or how many of the Akatsuki are lurking around the corners, ready to prey on me. A plethora of questions are bouncing around inside my mind, giving me a deep headache. This annoyance is not remedied by the fact that I haven't slept for hours upon hours, but, although I don't have the upper hand in the current situation, I decide to take the initiative and try to gather some information.

"So, are the other Akatsuki members here right now?" I ask as Deidara traipses over to the loveseat, stepping cautiously over the dirty piece of dinnerware.

The two partners share a look, as if they are communicating telepathically. Sasori then shrugs as Deidara vaguely answers, "Yeah, most of us are."

"Who isn't here?" I press.

"Hidan and Tobi. They're off on a mission, yeah," the blond responds boringly, probably thinking of a billion other things he could be doing besides talking to a suicidal girl. Using the information he gave me, I do a mental count and can confirm that, excluding these two, Itachi, Kisame, Pain, Konan, and Zetsu are currently in this hideout.

"So where is everyone? Don't you all want to gawk at your new prisoner?" I ask bitterly, crossing my arms. Even though part of me wants this new adventure, another part is still left behind under that beautiful tree wondering if this really is the best solution to my problem or not.

"Hey, there's no need to get an attitude with us, Pinky. We saved your life," Deidara says defensively, and I know he's right.

"Stop calling me Pinky!"

From behind me, I can hear an irritated sigh. Sasori. He's been so quiet that I forgot about him.

"Might I remind you, Deidara, that our mission is not finished yet," Sasori said, causing his partner to give a huff of annoyance before he pushes himself out of his plushy seat. "We still have to bring her to Leader."

All time seems to stop as I remember why I'm here. They didn't arrive to fatefully rescue the damsel in distress; no, they arrived because they were ordered to do so. Now the main question is why they want me. Is it because I was an important somebody? Is it because my life just gained value as its end neared? Is it because they knew I was close to cracking and snatched me up just in time from my morose encounter with fate? All of these reasons are plausible, yet I don't want them to be true. Deep down inside me, I don't want to be desired and yearned for because of the prestigious stories they've heard of me; I want to be wanted for my tangible feats, my applicable abilities, myself, not rumors of who I am.

"Well, shall we go then?" Deidara asks, walking to a door to my right and opening it. "Time for you to meet Leader!"

Sasori then pushes me forward, and I reluctantly step into the dark office. Hidden ominously in the shadows of erratically dancing candlelight is the person known as Leader: Pain. As Deidara and Sasori take their places in the uninterrupted darkness of the right side of the room, I am compelled forward by Pain's ringed, purple eyes. The only female of the Akatsuki, Konan, is standing by his side. I stop walking when I'm a few feet in front of Pain's neatly organized desk, and I strain my ears for any sound. It's almost painfully quiet.

"I see you have succeeded with your mission. Good work, Deidara, Sasori," Pain begins, his heavy voice resonating through the room. "Now, Sakura Haruno, you have been brought here for a reason. As you most likely know, Kakuzu, a prized member of the Akatsuki and our make-shift medical ninja, is now dead. With that being said, the Akatsuki needs a medical ninja and maid."

I had a feeling that that would be the request. I am fine with being a medical nin for them, but should I let them degrade me by becoming their maid? Or am I thinking about this too much? I need to remember what I just left; I need to reestablish a new start, and this will have to do for now.

"I will work for you," I say confidently, which seems to impress him.

"Good choice. You will start your work in the morning," Pain says, his stare at me never faltering. "If that is all, Itachi, show our new member to her room."

Lovely. The one person here who's connected to my old life will be escorting me to my room. I didn't know days like these could get any better. I brace myself as the elder Uchiha steps out of the darkness and into view. And, low and behold, the first thing I think of is Sasuke. The resemblance between them is striking. The only difference between them is that Itachi doesn't have a conceited sneer on his face.

Without even looking at me, Itachi silently makes his way out of the room, and I have to jog to catch up to him. We enter the living room area again, but this time we continue walking and enter a wide, dimly lit corridor. I try to get my mind off the recent events by focusing on the rustling of Itachi's cloak and the reverberating echos of our footsteps. He leads me down many more hallways and turns at too many corners, and I am stupidly wondering if he, himself, has become lost with this dizzying layout. Before I can give this more thought, he momentarily stops in front of a glossy, black wooden door.

Just as quickly as he paused, he reaches for the metallic doorknob and lets me inside. It is a simple room. The walls are, of course, made of stone, but the floor is smooth and made of wood. There are no windows; however, the room is homely lit with lamps. In the far right corner of the room is a twin sized bed with black and white sheets. Beside that is a dresser, trashcan, and a black and white loveseat.

I take a seat on the edge of my new bed, running my fingers along the cool, comfortable blankets, and the slightest smile appears on my face. This is it; this is my new beginning.

I then look up to find Itachi studiously studying me as if I were a challenging puzzle. I try to read him, but I come up short. There is no hatred on his face. There is no antipathy or malice or rapprochement. However, there is a remote amount of curiosity as if he is asking "Where does this piece fit?" To end our silent, brief exchange of thoughts, he points to a door to his left.

"Bathroom," he utters simply. He and his brother even have the same deep and compelling voice except Itachi's contains no cynicism or bitterness.

I nod in acknowledgment, and then my weariness catches up to me. I have forgotten how tired I am and look at the clock on my dresser to find that it's five in the morning. I suppose my tiredness is also prevalently etched on my face because Itachi then starts walking out of the room.

"Sleep," he almost commands. I'm not going to argue though because it was the most beautiful word I've heard in a long time. "You'll need the energy to cook us breakfast."

I swear I saw a smirk on his face as he closed the door, but I'm too exhausted to give a rebuttal. I climb under the protection of my soothing blankets and my world is at peace again. I then fall asleep with one thought on my mind: stupid Uchihas and their stupid smirks.

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**Now Sakura is part of the Akatsuki. And so the fun begins... ;P **

**haha, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I finally got to introduce a few other important (and some of my favorite) people to the story. Please tell me what you think of the story/my writing so I can improve for my sake and yours. I appreciate the support!**

**Sorry for making you guys wait. I blame school and extracurricular activities and my horrid procrastination. **

**E person :)**

**6-16-11**

**edited: 3-17-13**


	4. Sharks and Imbeciles

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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My sluggish body stirs as the achingly loud, monotonous beeps of the alarm clock increase in speed. The clock is unforgiving to being ignored, much to my chagrin. My sore eyes flutter open groggily as I blindly aim my hand for the clock, knocking an unidentified object to the ground in the process. After a few more moments of resting my eyes, I do a heavenly stretch and give a hearty yawn before sliding the warm cotton blanket off of my body. I shiver as my exposed skin comes in contact with the damp air that hasn't seen sunlight in who knows how long. Swinging my legs out of bed, I feel re-energized, even though it's eight-thirty in the morning. Although I recollect the painful memories of just a few hours ago, this haunting reflection is just that, I remind myself. They are just memories. Now it's time to focus on the present, of being alive. With this last thought, I smile to myself—the first genuine smile I've given a long time. I feel secure. I feel essential. I feel worthy of living. Aren't these reasons enough to smile about?

After the mental encouragement, I push myself off of the bed and make my way to the bathroom, which is furnished with the necessities: a toilet, a trashcan, and a shower. Eggshell-white towels hang along the wall. Grabbing one, I proceed with taking a much-needed hot shower, the steaming water soothing my body and making my mind go blank. After I reluctantly finish daydreaming under the invigorating stream of water, I dry off and quickly brush my teeth, fearing that I might have spent slightly too much time in the shower. I give my now sweet-smelling hair a last towel dry before stepping out of the bathroom, which is when I find a folded piece of paper on my now-made bed.

I pick the rough parchment up and unfold it, the paper creating a melody of crinkles, and discover that the paper is, in actuality, a map of the main rooms of the Akatsuki base. There is a giant star drawn on the rough sketch of many impeccably strait, intersecting lines, which connects "rooms" of various shapes. In a quick but rather artistic scrawl, the word "kitchen" is written next to the star, along with "you are here" next to a circled rectangle. Other areas on the map include the library, bathrooms, Leader's office, and the other members' rooms, probably for me to memorize to do my new duties around the hideout. Taking one last look at the map, I refold it and stuff it in my skirt pocket. As I turn around to leave, however, a very orange thing catches my eye. I turn around and look down at the legs of my nightstand, realizing that this must be the "something" that I knocked down when I woke up. I curiously pick up the paper and scan it, unveiling words that make my pulse race and my palms sweaty. Taking a seat on my bed, I try to stop my hands from trembling as I reexamine the letter addressed from an old friend.

Sakura,

So, you finally left, huh? This was probably all for the better,

considering everything that happened between you and

Karin. I can't say I'm happy (we were teammates, after all),

but I still can't believe you would betray us. Nonetheless,

Konoha's running fine without you. It almost seems like a

weight has been lifted, actually. I guess Karin was right; you

are better off somewhere else. I know you weren't expecting

this... but good-bye. Have fun in your new life.

Naruto Uzumaki

What should I be feeling now? Part of me feels like it just died after reading Naruto's messy handwriting. He and everyone else are happy now that I'm gone? Everyone still doesn't know the truth behind Karin? He's not even going to try to bring me back, like he was so determined to do with Sasuke? I was just erased from the lives of everyone in Konoha that easily? My eyes start to well with tears as I crumple the piece of paper up and throw it in the top drawer of my dresser. I try to suppress the overwhelming feelings of heartache and dread and anxiety as images of my past life haunt me. I tilt my head back in an attempt at holding in my tears and let out a soft, choked cough. Why do I feel so small all of a sudden? I am bombarded with more questions—questions that I wish I had the answers to. Why would Naruto bother writing a letter if he didn't care? How did the letter get to the Akatsuki base? Does this imply that he knows about my encounter with Deidara and Sasori? What does he mean by "betray?" Weren't they the ones that betrayed me?

I clench my fists and chew on my lip, a bad habit I have when I'm in a difficult position. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to comprehend everything, and let a few tears slip down my face, and then I take a few shaky breaths to suppress the forming headache. Just then, I start hearing footsteps echoing in the hallway. Wiping away the last of my tears, I quickly pull the map from my pocket and pretend to study it again, making sure my eyes aren't in view. The footsteps grow louder until they stop abruptly at my door. I can tell that the person is deciding whether to knock or just barge in, but they decide on taking the polite path.

"Come in," I say, my voice wavering slightly.

The doorknob turns slowly and silently. It feels like an eternity before the presence of a human is felt next to me, looking down on me like I'm a display in a museum.

"You're needed in the kitchen," says a tranquil, deep voice. Ah, what pleasure do I have of being in the company of the prestigious Itachi this early in the morning?

"Sorry. I woke up late and didn't have much time to study the map," I lie through my teeth. My head is still down, and I can feel that he's studying me again with his onyx eyes. His gaze isn't as intimidating as I thought it would be; instead, it is more stern.

Itachi clears his throat before saying, "I'll take you there."

"Oh, thanks. Lead the way," I say, standing up. I tuck the map into my pocket as Itachi just stands in place and examines me again. I blink a few times and then lift my head up to look at the wall in front of him, avoiding his gaze. "Well? Shouldn't we be going?"

Itachi continues to look at me for a few more seconds until he finally gives a defeated "hn." With that, we set off for the kitchen in almost the same manner as when he first brought me to my room a few hours ago.

"Ah, look who decided to show up, yeah," I hear Deidara joke as I walk into the kitchen behind Itachi.

Itachi joins Deidara, Sasori, and the rather peculiar looking, blue skinned Kisame at the large kitchen table to my left.

"I'm guessing that map I drew you didn't help much then? Or did you just oversleep?" Deidara asks with a snicker, continuing to pester me.

Not wanting to tell them of the letter from Naruto, I just say "yeah, I overslept," while avoiding their gazes. I can tell that, unfortunately, they aren't buying my act.

"What's wrong with you, little girl? You look shaken up," Kisame asks, his generally polite tone contrasting hugely with the over-all cannibalistic look of his shark-like face.

"Nothing's wrong," I sullenly say. Before they can badger me anymore, I open the fridge and change the topic. "So, what do you guys usually eat around here?" There is a short lapse of silence as I wait for an answer, but one never comes. "Who usually does the cooking?"

"That would be me!" Kisame chimes in, rather pleased with his significance around the Akatsuki base.

"Too bad your cooking's so bad even Zetsu won't go near it... and he eats humans, yeah," Deidara says sharply, leaning back in his chair.

"What's wrong with my cooking?" Kisame asks, outraged by the blonde's bold claim.

"Well, for starters, you add in enough salt to practically murder my kidneys."

"I do not-" Kisame tries to argue, grabbing for the handle of his prized sword, the Samehada.

"And you somehow possess the ability to either burn the food to charred lumps of salt, or water it down to the point of needing to improvise and call it "soup surprise," Deidara continues, lost in thought while counting off on his fingers. "Which, by the way, is somehow saltier than the lumps of salt, yeah. Oh, and you-"

"That's enough, Deidara!" Kisame bellows, slamming his fist down on the feeble looking table (or maybe that's just from all the fights that this table has been through), his eyes squinting in agitation.

"Whoa there. Calm down, Mr. Grumpy Gills. I'm sure your cooking isn't that bad," I say, and the shark man instantly turns his hatred to me as Deidara and Sasori share a grin and Itachi arches an eyebrow.

"Grumpy... Gills?" Kisame repeats slowly. "I don't know if I should be more insulted by _that_ or my supposed horrible cooking..."

"Well, uh, who wants shrimp fried rice for brunch?" I say hesitantly, ending my question with a nervous laugh. I am not about to get on shark-man's bad side while his grip is still on his sword.

Although I'm not the best cook in the land (okay, maybe not even the most mediocre cook), I've still learned a thing or two from experience. For example, I've learned to always watch the food that's cooking, and never leave it unattended unless you like tent fires and a screaming teammate complaining about his singed behind. Also, from my years of being a medical ninja, I've learned about a plethora of edible herbs and aromatics. I suppose one could say that I just have a knack for flavors through these studies. After the fried rice finishes cooking, I dump it onto a few plates (I never said I was any good at presentation) and set them in front of the hungry and grumpy ninjas. Kisame is the brave soul who takes the first bite, probably wanting to gloat in my face if the food is worse than his, but he surprisingly replies with a quiet "not bad, little girl," and continues eating, prompting the others to follow in his steps with much satisfaction.

After the five of us finish eating, I get a "thank you" from Sasori and Itachi, a "we should have kidnapped you sooner, Pinky" from Deidara, and a burp and pat on the back from Kisame. They all then leave the kitchen as I start cleaning up and washing the dishes, embarking for my room after I finish. Using the handy map as my sole tool of survival in this maze that they call a hideout, I eventually find my way back, but not before encountering five dead ends and Kisame in the living room, talking affectionately to his sword. As I open my door, I see a familiar shape on the ground, but this time in the shade of dark lavender. I start feeling nervous as I pick up and read from the new piece of paper, and the uneasiness settles in just a few words into the letter.

Dear Billboard Brow,

I heard you decided to join the Akatsuki. Wow,

who knew you'd be the one to completely turn your

back on the village. Yeah, I know Sasuke did too, but

at least he had the heart to come back, and he brought

my new best friend with him. Honestly, I still don't

understand why you were so horrible to Karin; she's

been nothing but good for this village. You probably

expected to read that the villagers are all sad now

that you're gone, but that's not true. Sorry, but I

feel that you leaving is probably a good move on

your part. You wouldn't want any more death

threats and insults, would you?

From Ino.

Although I'm more prepared for the aftereffects of the letter, it still troubles me. More and more questions are piling precariously on top of each other, and I'm scared to think about them for fear that they might come toppling down on me. My sanity is already spread wafer-thin; adding this much weight on my shoulders is almost deadly. Sucking in a shallow breath, I put the last two letters behind me and try to brush the questions away from my mind, like trying to swat away annoying flies. Unlike the last letter, I fold the new one neatly in half and slide it swiftly into the dresser drawer, but not before a soft rapping of knuckles is heard from my door.

"Sakura?"

Turning around, I spot Konan, looking as strikingly beautiful as ever, even with the many detracting black piercings on her face. She has a rather neutral expression, her smoky gray eyes listfully darting from my face to the drawer.

Before she can ask, I quickly begin to speak nonsense, the best offense when trying divert someone's attention. "Konan, is it? You're looking quite nice today."

Plainly, she was wearing the Akatsuki robe worn by all the members, but it was the best I could come up with on the spot.

"Yes, and thank you... I came here because Pain would like you to meet Hidan in the living room. He just arrived from his mission," she says, still skeptical of my weird mannerisms and less-than-happy expression.

"Okay, let's go," I say, shooing her out of my room.

Although she is clearly curious about what I put in the dresser, she drops the subject and leads me to the living room without protest. Once there, I see a very muscular man sitting on the previously overturned couch. He notices us immediately and runs a hand through his slicked back, medium length, silver hair. In his other hand, he is holding his trademark triple bladed scythe. Upon closer inspection, I see that he has a very handsome, sculpted face, much like his body. The most distinctive feature about him, however, has to be his dark purple eyes, which seem to catch even the tiniest of details.

"Who's the bitch?" Hidan asks, immediately breaking the austere allure that surrounds him.

My fists ball up instinctively. "Excuse me?"

"Hidan, you should be more polite to the newest addition of the Akatsuki. Sakura, don't mind him and his foul mouth," Konan says calmly, as if she has been in this situation too many times.

"So she's the new member? What the hell can she do that we can't?" Hidan sneers, making his disdain toward me clear.

"Sakura is a very talented medical ninja. I'm sure you of all people know why we found a new one," Konan comments, inducing Hidan to snort mockingly.

"Heh, just because my partner's killed doesn't mean we this little brat. She can't fucking replace Kakuzu. We can get along without her and her damn talent," Hidan says with a sneer.

"Hidan, she was brought here by Pain's order," Konan informs the man, which wipes the cocky look off his face. "So, if you would be just a bit nicer to her, it would be greatly appreciated."

Just as quickly as it disappeared, his unpleasant deposition returns. "Yeah, yeah, it's my fucking pleasure to meet ya, bitch."

Inside me, a wild fire roars to life.

"What did you say?" I spat, taking a step toward him as he stands up, his hulking body towering over me.

"I said-"

"O-Okay! That's enough!" Konan interrupts, putting herself between us. "Hidan, don't forget what I just told you. And Sakura, I understand that Hidan is an inconsiderate, pompous jerk, but you will have to learn how to deal with it." Once Hidan and I cool off slightly, Konan continues with, "Good, no bloodshed. Now, how about you help me with dinner tonight, Sakura?"

Caught off guard by the sudden change in topic, I take a few seconds before replying with "sure."

"Alright, well, we'll be taking our leave then. Good bye, Hidan," Konan says, grabbing my right arm and pulling me away.

"Good bye, you immortal imbecile," I reply, to which Konan sighs and shakes her head disapprovingly.

"How'd you know I'm immortal?" Hidan questions, cocking his head to the side.

"... keep your friends close and your enemies closer," I reply simply but mysteriously, causing him to eye me intriguingly. It was an aphorism that I kept particularly close to my heart as a result of everything that happened in the village.

"Whatever. I need a fucking nap...," Hidan responds, dropping the previous conversation and stalking off to his room.

Konan and I then depart to cook dinner for these ungrateful but lovable buffoons.

As we gather the ingredients needed for the meal, I ask Konan, "Is he always that annoying?"

She gives a small laugh before nodding yes.

"Then I feel sorry for you."

* * *

After we are done cooking, Konan tells me that she has other duties to attend to, so I serve the dishes to the few, usual people that show up and save the leftovers for the others. Afterward, I decide to clean the kitchen and living room before trudging, exhausted, to my room. Even though they are all grown men, they sure don't know how to properly clean up after themselves... or keep couches and lamps upright. I wrap my hand around the doorknob and hear the familiar, sharp click of the lock as I open the door. Raising a weary arm up to turn on the light, I try to contain my shock as I see a midnight black note on the floor, which is around three inches by three inches in length and width, the same size as the other letters; however, I can tell that there are far less words on this note than the previous ones. Closing and locking the door behind me, I retrieve the note and begin perusing the impeccably neat, poetic scrawl.

Letting bygones be bygones

was your plan, not mine.

Disbelief flooded my heart

when you crossed the fine line

and left all of Konoha

for those Akatsuki swine.

On that moonless day,

all seemed sublime,

until you joined the accursed nine.

If I may ask... Why?

Probably the most terrifying lines of poetry I have ever read, I suppose it is only natural for me to temporarily lose my composure. I scan it over and over again until the words are imprinted in my mind, indefinitely. My eyes are brought back to line seven every time. From this poem, I can conclude that someone—whoever sent this note—saw me leave with Deidara and Sasori. This person knows about my suicide attempt, and most likely also knows about my predicament with Karin. According to the first line of the poem, this person and I also had a past together, apparently... but who is this person?

**I apologize for the extremely (and that's an understatement) long wait for this chapter. However, since so many new twists happened and I introduced a few more characters and this chapter is about twice as long as my usual chapters, I hope that you can forgive me for my lateness. School has been the death of me, but, luckily, I am on summer break now. Happy summer to those who're also on break!**

**So, I must ask, how was this chapter? Hopefully good considering I had plenty (hey look, another understatement) of time to write this. Also, who do you think wrote the poem?**

**And to end this author's note, I just wanted to inform former readers of Saved that I have decided to completely change the ending from my previous one... I'm planning on adding many more plot twists and mysteries and order to the story this time around. I have never put this much thought into a story (usually, I just write and update as I go), and I really hope it pays off!**

**Thanks for reading the ridiculously long notes above; I appreciate all you readers!**

**E person :)**

**6-26-11**

**edited: 7-13-13**


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